Globe Theatre - Bigger and Badder at Backwoods

The Globe Theatre, which has been seen at festivals such as Electric Forest, Snow Globe, and EDC is making its way to Backwoods Music Festival this year, with one difference of course; It will be bigger and badder than it has ever been built before.

The creative geniuses at Imagine Nation are taking Globe to the next level for this year's show. Typically a small stage is placed at one end of the venue and the capacity is very limited, lending itself to issues if an artist draws huge crowds. Not at Backwoods. The stage will be twice as large as normally placed inside the Globe Theatre to handle the larger professional acts which require more space for their stage plot, and the crew is planning to expand the size of Globe for larger audiences. Currently discussions are leading towards designing Globe as a two story theatre with a balcony for festival attendees. If you ever caught it at Electric Forest, think twice the size for this year's Backwoods Music Festival. Producer, Will Royall explains, "We needed to make sure the venue would have enough capacity for some of the artists we're putting on that stage. Andy Frasco had a huge turn-out for both shows at Wakarusa for example, and he'll be headlining one of the evenings in Globe. That place is going to be nuts."The Globe Theatre is completely built out of reclaimed and recycled found materials. The temporary enclosed roofed structure is built in just 7 days by the team who then transforms into characters and actors to deepen the experience of their visitors. We asked John Ripley, of Imagine Nation a few questions about this year's Globe build at Backwoods:

1. Who are you guys and what the heck is the Globe Theatre?

We are The Imagine Nation a collective of artists, performers, and builders versed in the art of creating interactive theme stages with live characterization, witty tricks, and an epic vibe. The Globe Theater is our recreation of a mini Shakespearian era venue filled with secret doors, 360 degree immersive artistic design, and improv shenanigans.

2. What was the inspiration behind Globe Theatre?

We are very inspired by past "era's" and love to recreate and re-enact them in today's festival scene. The Globe Theater comes from the Shakespearian era which was full of beautiful woodwork, amazing characters, and immaculetly designed theaters. Due to all of these aspects of this era fitting with our style we were inspired to recreate it in modern time!

3. What can festival attendees look forward to most when they happen across Globe Theatre in the Nirvana Woodlands this year at Backwoods?

When you enter The Globe be prepared to step into a totally seperate reality filled with a magical sparkle that will tantalize your senses and stimulate your imagine nation while transporting you straight into the ye ole Shakespearian era!

4. You all are known for getting into “character” as well, can you explain what that means really?

To fully bring our installations to life we dress up and talk in accent according to the time period we are recreating. We aim to be playful and witty yet real to create a unique interaction with each person that enters our zone.

5. What are you looking forward to most about Backwoods Music Festival this year?

Above and beyond the awesome lineup, we are really excited to connect with a whole new audience, the production crew, and witness first hand the epic vibe and experience that we keep hearing about with Backwoods! Oh, and we are super stoked that the Globe is right next to the lake!